3 simple tips to help businesses improve management of work orders

Just in the past three decades, management of business operations have evolved to a great extent. Varying economic conditions, including increased market competition and a leap forward in computer technology have helped companies across all sectors to implement “smarter” operations approach.

In order for them to remain profitable and competitive in the long term, companies have started to recognize the importance of increased business efficiency with the help of resource, material and time management. A crucial aspect of operations management is the efficient work order management. This article will provide tips on the same.

Moving from paper-based methods to digital.

Spreadsheets are an effective work order management solution for small and medium sized operations that take care of less than 20 work orders per month. When you are using a spreadsheet software, data is arranged in the form of columns and rows. This data can be captured, displayed and manipulated to arrive at conclusions. Spreadsheets are designed to hold and process numerical data and small text strings. They can be used to display data relationships graphically as well.

However, for relatively larger facilities that are dealing with more than 20 work orders per month, a work order tracking software such as a Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) is a better choice as these systems are capable of tracking work orders, while generating accurate reports in a matter of seconds, and create preventive maintenance plans by determining which of their assets requires maintenance or repairs based on the data.

Recent developments in this field has included cloud-based interfaces for less initial investment and increased scalability in the form of cloud CMMS, mobile accessibility with the help of smartphones in the form of mobile CMMS as well

Differentiating Proactive and reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance is something that is conducted when an equipment fails unexpectedly. When it comes to this, operations are interrupted until that specific piece of equipment is fixed. Sometimes, this may require a needed part be ordered and acquired if it is not stocked and ready. On the other hand, preventive maintenance is a proactive form of maintenance that involves regularly taking care of equipment while they are working with the purpose of conducting tune ups and replacing small parts to prevent unexpected downtimes and failures in the long run.

Preventive maintenance can be scheduled and are under your control and thus can be managed based on the operations cycle of your facility. This is less disruptive to operations on the floor and equipment lifespans can also be extended due to this.

Reducing costs and improving productivity

It is highly important that you develop a preventative maintenance strategy for the purpose of reducing unplanned downtime due to failure. This will help in the reduction of costs and expenses as resources can be better allocated. By reducing downtime, productivity of your facility is also increased to a great extent.

Conclusion

I hope this article was useful for you to learn more about how preventative maintenance plan can help your business. There are so many possibilities that are unlocked with the help of this. Make the most out of it. If you have any doubts with regards to this, let us know through the comments and we will be glad to help you out. If you have any suggestions regarding how we can improve the article, let us know them through the comments as well for us to improve.

Do you have any other reservations against trying out a CMMS solution? Have you tried any in the past? What is your opinion or experience while using those? What is your perception on the long term viability of this technology? Let us know through the comments.

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